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WTO agrees to investigate India restrictions on U.S. poultry
Story Date: 6/28/2012
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Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 6/27/12
The World Trade Organization on Monday accepted a request by the United States for a dispute settlement panel to probe India’s restrictions on U.S. poultry, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed to Meatingplace.
The United States lodged the complaint in March, contending that restrictions based on India's fears of low-pathogenic avian influenza are unscientific.
Since at least February of 2007, India has formally banned imports of various agricultural products from the United States, supposedly to prevent outbreaks of avian influenza in India. India instituted this ban even though the United States has not had an outbreak of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza since 2004. In addition, international standards for avian-influenza control do not support the imposition of import bans due to detections of low pathogenic avian influenza, the only kind of avian influenza found in the United States since 2004.
Exports of poultry meat and eggs to India could exceed $300 million per year, according to the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, which has called the restrictions “a protectionist policy that is inconsistent with accepted international standards, and has no health or safety justification.”
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